New research demonstrates a remarkable adaptation in a fish. It has a warm heart Continue reading...

A possible solution to one of the world’s most pressing problems might be lurking in my own back garden: my son and I see what we can do about it Continue reading...

Footage from Science magazine, released on Thursday, shows the first warm-blooded fish to be discovered. The opah, found off the US, Australia and other countries, swims using its pectoral muscles to generate warmth. The fish's internal system has been compared to a car-radiator system, similar to endothermic mammals and birds that can maintain their body temperature, regardless of their environment Continue reading...

Pictures released by Kaikoura Marine Centre and Aquarium shows a dead giant squid, found on Tuesday. The squid was nearly two metres long, with one tentacle reaching an additional five metres. it was found by a man walking his dog at South Bay in Kaikoura. The local marine centre has since moved the squid to a freezer with glass windows so it can be viewed by the public. The aquarium says some samples will go to Auckland and Otago Universities for research Continue reading...

Study shows that modern hunter-gatherer tribes operate on egalitarian basis, suggesting inequality was an aberration that came with the advent of agriculture

Neurons in the fruit fly brain track orientation much like ‘head direction’ cells in the mammalian brain Continue reading...

Gold and white or blue and black? Why did people see The Dress so differently? Researchers believe the key might lie in our exposure to artificial lightThe image of The Dress that went viral this year and split friends and families over the colour of its stripes has sparked a fresh debate among scientists.The close-cropped picture of the garment became an internet sensation when it appeared on Tumblr in late February. Its horizontal stripes were black and blue. Or were they white and gold?

Novice beekeepers need to be vigilant for the moment a queen bee will lead workers to find a new hive, especially in cities and towns where swarms can cause disruption – even if they are harmless and nothing to fuss over Continue reading...

Scientists have diagnosed strain of leprosy on man from Scandinavia who died in Essex in the fifth or early sixth centuryA Scandinavian man who died 1,500 years ago in Essex suffered from leprosy, and may have been the first to bring the strain to Britain.

Has it become harder for graduate students to thrive, and are our best potential scientists giving up on academia? Continue reading...

The Royal Society has revealed the six contenders in the running for the 2015 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, awarded annually to the best science book for children aged up to 14.The winning book will be chosen by groups of young people from over 100 schools and youth groups across the UK. See the full shortlisted below. Continue reading...

Outrage at fox hunting and anti-vivisection campaigns are just two examples of people putting animals first. But why do we favour other species over our own? Continue reading...

The British soprano has postponed her trip aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule, citing family reasons Continue reading...

Trap-jaw ants use their powerful jaws to perform jumps in order to hurl themselves away from waiting antlions. Scientists have found that the enormous power of the trap-jaw ant's mandibles comes from a pair of large, contracting muscles in the head. The ant's jaws open to 180 degrees before snapping shut at more than 60 metres per second (140 miles per hour). The whole action takes place 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye Continue reading...

Trap-jaw ants are known as fast biters, but researchers have proved that their astonishing leaps, propelled by 140mph muscle movements, are an escape tacticThey have the fastest bite in the animal kingdom, but the trap-jaw ants’ explosive mandibles also serve a less violent purpose, according to scientists. The insects regularly use their spring-loaded jaws to perform “escape jumps” when face-to-face with a predator.The ant’s jaws open to 180 degrees before snapping shut at more than 60 metres per second (140 miles per hour). The whole action takes place 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye. Continue reading...

Emergency Asteroid Defence Project needs funding for its research into spaceships that can ‘deflect or disperse’ asteroids and comets Continue reading...

Experts in Valencia investigate death of six-tonne fin whale, which showed no sign of collision with vessel or being caught in netZoologists in Valencia are investigating the death of a six-tonne whale that washed up near the shore this week.

It seems an obvious result: researchers lop off part of an insect’s penis and find it doesn’t work so well. But is this as cut and dried as it seems? Continue reading...

Peter Gøtzsche argues that most prescriptions could be stopped without causing harm, but other experts strongly disagreePsychiatric drugs do more harm than good and the use of most antidepressants and dementia drugs could be virtually stopped without causing harm, an expert on clinical trials argues in a leading medical journal.Given their lack of benefit, I estimate we could stop almost all psychotropic drugs without causing harm Continue reading...

Freedom of thought must mean freedom of belief and unbelief alike – in Bangladesh and elsewhere Continue reading...

Comedian Richard Sandling explains why science fiction, and the science behind it, should be taken seriously Continue reading...

To ensure scientific integrity in climate policy, advisers need to take a step back from politics. Continue reading...

Firms agreed to make their products healthier, for example by reducing amounts of salt, but few have done so, researchers say Continue reading...

Increase in immune defences fights infections, but also raises risk of inflammation, causing heart attacks, stroke and diabetes during winter monthsThe increase in deaths during winter months is typically put down to icy weather, bouts of flu and the more sluggish lifestyles we adopt as the days draw in. Now scientists have suggested that our own immune systems may be to blame for the annual peak in conditions from heart attacks to diabetes and schizophrenia.A study has revealed that the immune system has a seasonal cycle, in which its activity is boosted during the winter and relaxes during the summer. Continue reading...

Although they speak proudly of our achievements, Conservative policies pose a substantial risk to science and innovation Continue reading...

The scientist will take to the Kidz Field this summer alongside magician Dynamo, as well as Mr Yipadee and his friend Wonky Donkey Continue reading...

Has the traditional format of the science journal had its day? Dorothy Bishop outlines an alternative model, based on consensual communication Continue reading...

The pro-European younger brother of Boris Johnson has replaced Greg Clark following the government’s cabinet reshuffle

Seven years after the ‘Berlin patient’ was cured of HIV, scientists are looking to natural immunity through genetic variation to create vaccine and gene therapies Continue reading...

Language that stresses co-operation, concern and trust found to be crucial to approval ratings, while just a few negative words can sharply worsen standings Continue reading...

The more scientists examine H2O, the stranger it starts to seem. Water bends all the rules – but if it didn’t, ice would sink and firefighters’ hoses would be uselessWater is the only substance on Earth whose chemical formula has entered the vernacular. We all know H2O, even if we don’t understand precisely what it means. But if it sounds simple, the reality is different. This common, seemingly boring substance baffles and confuses anyone who peers at it for long enough.Water breaks all the rules. Since the 19th century, chemists have developed a robust framework to describe what liquids are and what they can do. Those ideas are almost useless at explaining the weird behaviour of water. Its strangeness underlies what happens every time you drop an ice cube into a drink. Think about it for a moment: in front of you is a solid, floating on its liquid. Solid wax doesn’t float on melted wax; solid butter doesn’t float on melted butter in a hot saucepan; rocks don’t float on lava when it spews out of a volcano. Continue reading...

Landmark genetic study of typhoid has revealed a multidrug-resistant strain sweeping across Asia and Africa, killing 200,000 people a yearA silent epidemic of typhoid that is resistant to multiple antibiotics is spreading across Africa, posing a fresh threat to public health, according to a landmark genetic study of the organism.An international team of researchers analysed the DNA of nearly 2000 typhoid pathogens from countries across Asia and Africa and found that a single multiple- drug resistant strain had swept through Asia and crossed into Africa over the past 30 years.

Archaeologists believe first stone circle to be found on Devon moorland for 100 years lends weight to idea of liaison between communities there 5,000 years ago

British Airline Pilots Association says half of those surveyed back training for drone operators and prison sentences for endangering aircraft Continue reading...

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The source of our happiness is closer than ever to being located, measured and commodified. Alex Renton meets the ‘psychoeconomists’ and asks, have they created a monster?The happiest man in the world is a 67-year-old Buddhist monk called Matthieu Ricard. He starts his day sitting in a meadow in front of his hermitage in Nepal. He watches hundreds of miles of Himalayan peaks glowing in front of him in the rising sun. The scene “blends naturally and seamlessly with the peace he has within”.Over the past 40 years Ricard has put in more than 10,000 hours of meditation: he is the supreme practitioner of what we now call “mindfulness”. When not gazing at Himalayan peaks, Ricard is likely to be found in the boardrooms and at the dining tables of the rich and famous. Ever since his “happiest man” diagnosis in 2008 – made after days of brain scans at the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin – he has been an object of fascination for the powerful. Continue reading...

Agriculture minister suggests University of Western Australia’s decision to cancel ‘Australia consensus centre’ was because academics’ consultancy fees would be jeopardised Continue reading...